Fire-alarm system.



No. 821,581. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906.

B. F. BEANE & R. P. BENNETT.

FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10. 1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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lllll! Bea/7e and S nvewkow No. 821,581. PATENTED MAY 22, 1906. B. F. BEANE & R. P. BENNETT.

FIRE ALARM SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10,1905.

'2 SHEETSSHEBT 2.

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' Bffieane and mz MW/ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN F. BEANE AND ROY P. BENNETT, OF NEW PARIS, OHIO.

FIRE-ALARM SYSTEM Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 22, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, BENJAMIN F. BEANE and ROY P. BENNETT, citizens of the United States, residing at New Paris, in the county of Preble and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire- Alarm Systems; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to I make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in fire-alarm systems for small towns and vill'ages which have avolunteer fire department One object of the invention is to rovide a signal system of this character w ch will sound a eneral alarm at a central station and indepen ent alarms at the homes of the firemen or members of the volunteer department.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient electrically-com trolled means for mechanically operating an alarm-bell.

A further object of the invention is to improve and simplify the construction and operation of an apparatus of this character, and thereby render the same more certain, durable, and effective in use.

With the above and other objects in view the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, combination, and arran ement of parts, as will be hereinafter descril oed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved alarm mechanism with the electrical connections illustrated diagrammatically, and Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings by numeral 1 de notes a bell or other alarm device which may be mounted in a suitable tower 2, constructed for that purpose, as illustrated in the drawings, or it may be mounted in the top of a building or at any other suitable place which is centrally located in a small town or village, so that the bell may be heard b all or a large number of the inhabitants. he support or tower 2 may be of any suitable construction, and the bell 1, which is suspended in its top, as shown, is sounded by a rotary clapper 3, which is in the form of abar secured at its center upon a shaft 4, having at its ends pivotally-mounted tappet heads or devices 5, which are adapted to strike the bell l as the shaft 4 is rotated. These tappet devices are preferably in the form of rings or washers, which are loosely mounted in the outer ends of the clapper arms 3, so that they will be thrown outwardly by centrifugal force to strike the bell 1 as the shaft 4 rotates. Said shaft is mounted in bearings in a suitable frame 6, which is providedupon the upper portion of the tower 2, and upon one end of said shaft is a pinion 8, which meshes with a large gear 9, secured upon a second shaft 10, which is also mounted in bearings in the frame 6. The gear 9 is secured upon one end of the shaft 10 and at its 0 posite end is loosely mounted a s rocket-wfieel 1 1. This sprocketwheel 11 is cc to rotate independent of the shaft 10, in one direction, but 1s caused to rotate therewith in the opposite direction by a spring-actuated pawl 12, which is pivoted upon it and which enga es aratchet-wheel 13, secured upon said sha t 10. The sprocketwheel 1 1 which is disposedin the upper portion of the tower, is connected by a spr ocket-rhain 14 to a sprocket-wheel 1, which is suitably journaled in a frame 16, provided in the lower portion of the tower. Upon the sprocketchain 14 is secured a weight 17, which when in its elevated osition (shown in Fig. 2 of the drawin s) and the sprocket-wheel 15 is released y a trip device 18, mounted in the lower portion of the tower, is adapted to descend to cause the sprocket-chain 14 to ro-- tate the shaft 11, which in turn POL-"i195 the shaft 4 and the clapper 3 to sound bell. A crank-handle 19 may be provided upon the shaft of the sprocket-wheel or any other suitable means may be provided for rotating said wheel to elevate the weight 17 to the po sition shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. It will be seen that owing to the awl-andratchet connection 12 13 the shat 10, and hence the shaft 4, will only be rotated as the weight 17 descends, the sprocket-wheel 11 turning independent of the shaft 10 when said welght 1s elevated.

The trip device 18, by means of which the alarm mechanism 'ust described is set in op eration, is adapted to be operated from any one of a number of substations which are located at different points throughout the town. The trip 18, which is in the form of a lever, is controlled by an electromagnet 20,

i which in turn is actuated by the closing'of an electric circuit, as illustrated dia ammatically in Fig. 1 of the drawings. he lever or trip 18 is pivoted interme iate its ends, as shown at 21, and has one of its ends engaged with the teeth of the sprocket-wheel 15, and its opposite end is adapted to be sup orted when the trip is in its locked position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings) by a hook'22 upon the armature 23 of the electroma net 20, said armature being pivotally mounte in a han er 24, provided upon the supporting-base of t e ma net. The coils of the magnet 20 are inclu ed in a normall open electrical circuit 25, which also inclu es an electric battery or other generator 26, an annunciator 27, and a series of push-buttons of other circuit-closing devices 28, which are arranged at the diiferent substations throughout the town. It will be understood that the device 28 may be of any form. Instead of employing pushbuttons we may use thermostatically-closed circuit-closures, which may be located at various points, such as warehouses, store rooms, elevators, flour-mills, and the like. These thermostatic circuit-closures, it will be understood,will close the circuit to sound the fire-alarm when the temperature at the place where it is located rises to a redetermined degree. It will be seen that W en any one of the devices 28 is actuated to close the circuit 25 the annunciator 27 will be actuated to indicate from which substation the alarm is sounded, and the magnet 20 will be energized to attract its armature 23, and thereby release the tri -lever 18. When the latter is released, it fiees the sprocket-wheel 15 and permits the weight 17 to descend, and thereby sound the alarm-bell 1.

In order to simultaneously sound individual alarm devices located at the homes of the members of the fire department of the town, we provide a separate normally open electric circuit 29. This circuit 29 includes thebattery or generator 26, a series of electric bells or other translating devices 30, which are located in the rooms of the firemen, and the trip-lever 18, which latter when it swings to its released position is adapted to enga e an electrical contact-point 31, and there b close the said open circuit 29, so that thebe ls or signaling devices30 will be actuated simultaneously with the bell 1. If desired, we may so include in the circuit 29 an electric lamp 32, which is disposed adjacent to the annunciator 27 to permit the latter to be more readily seen.

From the fore oing description, taken in connection with t e accompanying drawings, the construction and operation of the invention will be readily understood without requiring a more extended explanation. I

While we have shown and described the preferred embodiment of our invention, it will be understood that we do not wish to be limited to the precise showin herein set forth. Instead of the Weight 17 for actuatin the shaft 10 we may substitute a spring, an various other changes in the form, proportion, and the minor details of construction may be resorted to without departing from the principle or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

' Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a fire-alarm system, the combination of a bell, a rotary clapper for said bell, a winding mechanism,.a trip for holding said mechanism in inoperative condition, an electromagnet, an armature for actuating said trip for releasing the winding mechanism, an electric generator, an annunciator, circuitclosing devices, and an electric circuit including said enerator, said annunciator, and said circuit-c osing devices, substantially as described.

2. In a fire-alarm system, the combination of a sounding device, means for operating the sounding device, comprising a winding mechanism, an electroma net, a trip actuated by the-armature of sai electromagnet-for'releasing said Winding mechanism, an electric generator, a series of electric bells or other translating devices arranged at different points, and an electric circuit includin said generator, said electric bells or trans ating evices, and said trip, substantially as described. I

3. The combination of a suitable support, a bell mounted therein, a shaft, a rotary clapper upon the latter, a second shaft, earing connecting said shafts, a rotary e ement,

'mounted upon said second shaft to turn therewith in one direction and independent thereof in the reverse direction, a second rotary element, an endless flexible connection passed about said elements, aweight carried y said flexible connection, a trip device for holding said second rotary element against movement, an electromagnet for controllin said trip-lever, and means for actuating saic l electromagnet from different points, stantially as described.

4. The combination'of a suitable support or tower, a bell mounted therein, a shaft disposed beneath said bell, a rotary clapper upon said shaft for sounding said bell, a second shaft, gearing between said shafts, a sprocket-wheel loosely mounted upon said second shaft, a pawl-and-ratchet connection between the latter and said sprocket-wheel, a second sprocket-wheel mounted in the lower sub- IIC

portion of said tower, a sprocket-chain conour hands in presence of two subscribing witnecting said sprocket-wheel, a Weight 13mm nesses.

hol ing said sprocket-chain, a trip-lever for BENJAMIN F. BEANE.

said second s rocket-wheel against rotation, ROY P. BENNETT. 5 and eleetrica y-operated means for control- Witnesses:

lin said trip-lever, substantially as described. W. P. MILLS,

n testimony whereof We have hereunto set GEO. S. KEssLER, 

